


Puppy Love

by BlueHoneyBee



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 20:49:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3623844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueHoneyBee/pseuds/BlueHoneyBee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Emma asked Gold for help asking Regina out, she meant something to boost her confidence. What she gets is definitely not what she meant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puppy Love

The bell rang out loud and clear in the dim light of the shop. Emma could just barely make the man out as he walked out from the back room to the spot right in the centre behind the counter and gave her his signature smirk.

"Ah, if it isn't our beloved savior. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked as he always does when someone comes into the shop. Emma had been hesitant, he could see that, whatever she needed, it was big.

She took a deep breath and stepped up to the counter.

"I need your help Gold." She began.

"And how may I be of service?" he asked again. She gulped for a second and then spoke.

"I need something to help Regina fall in love with me." She said, her voice just above a whisper, as if the brunette in question would hear her from across town if she spoke any louder.

"A love potion?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "You know that's not real love, it will only make her think she loves you."

"No, that's not what I meant." she sighed. God knows she didn't want the love between them to be a farce. She knew it was real, what she felt, she just couldn't get any of her damned courage to stay every time she went to confront Regina about it. "I just need something to speed things along."

"I'm not sure if I can help you there, dearie." He said. "Perhaps you should just ask her out on a date."

She couldn't believe Rumpelstiltskin had just given her dating advice. She closed her eyes and sighed, resting her hand out on the counter and leaning a bit.

"I've tried." She practically groaned. "But every time I'm about to say something the damn words get stuck in my throat, and I end up changing the subject."

"Hmm." He hummed thoughtfully. "I may know just the thing."

"Really?" Emma said, hope sparking in her eyes. Gold held up a finger, signalling to her to wait there, as he disappeared again behind the curtain that separated the front room from the back. Emma didn't feel really good about being left alone in the shop, which was a hundred times creepier in the dim light emanating from the single lamp lit on the counter. She wondered why Gold never installed more lights in here, but he figured it was because he was a creepy little shit.

Just as soon as he was gone, Gold re appeared from behind the curtain, shaking a vial of dark purple liquid in his hands.

"Here you are my dear." he said, placing it elegantly right in the centre of the counter. "This will fix your problem."

Emma nodded, and the squinted her eyes at him.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me Gold." Emma said. "Name your price."

"This one, believe it or not, is on the house." He said, tapping the vial to emphasise his point.

"Why?" Emma said with a raised eyebrow. He smiled at her.

"I like to think of it as an investment. If you really have what it takes to make the Evil Queen happy, well then maybe she'll just stop being a pain for everyone else." He said smugly. Emma leveled him with a glare.

"You call her the Evil Queen or a pain again that stick won't be enough to help you walk." She threatened, snatching the vile off the counter before turning around and walking right out of the shop, shouting out a quick 'thanks' before the door swung shut behind her.

* * *

 

She stood outside Regina's house, looking up at the mayoral mansion. She had driven there immediately after talking with Gold about a solution for her problem. She took a deep breath, taking a minute to remember how she got here.

She'd been falling for Regina slowly, ever since Neverland. Somewhere between worrying about Henry, Neal, her dad, and the push and pull game she played with hook, she grew close to the brunette. Before that she didn't really consider the idea of dating Regina. Though she couldn't deny that the woman was dripping with sensuality, that one look could drive any man, or woman, crazy about her. She wondered for a moment why she didn't have the entire male population of the town putty in her hands. God knows she wouldn't need to steal their hearts literally, to be able to do so figuratively. Emma sighed, realizing for the umpteenth time that she had done so with her heart. She didn't know how to handle this, how to talk about this to anyone. Mary Margaret had seen her moping a few times, and asked her what was wrong, but she just danced around the question. Her mother meant well, of course she did, but there was no way that the savior could explain to her mother that she was in love with the woman who had sworn to make her life a living hell. It was a disaster waiting to happen, so she just didn't talk about it. She knew tonight would be a defining moment though. If Gold's potion worked and she was able to hold on to her courage long enough to confront Regina and tell her about her feelings, then she would know. Whether she read all those whimsical looks and smiles and slight touches on her shoulders and arms any chance she got right. It was do or die, tonight could signify the beginning of her happy ending. and it terrified her to her very core.

Her hands started shaking, and she started getting that feeling that she always got when she felt anything remotely deep and real. The feeling that got a voice inside her head to scream at her to run away and hide until those deep feelings disappeared back to the hell they came from. But she couldn't do it, she couldn't lie to herself, or to Regina, not anymore. So she wiped the sweat of her palms onto her jeans, pulled out the vial, pulled off the cork, and downed the contents of the small container in one go.

The potion tasted awful, but she wasn't surprised, it wasn't exactly grape juice, despite it's colour. She corked the vial again and put it into her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she could feel the magic of the potion course through her veins. Her hands had stopped shaking so it had to have worked. She smiled to herself, taking in her newfound confidence. She began to walk up the pathway leading to Regina's house.

Suddenly she felt light headed, and before she knew it, the world around her was going dark and the last thing she felt was the pull of gravity bringing her down onto Regina's well tended front lawn before unconsciousness enveloped her.

* * *

 

Emma twitched and groaned as she stirred, no clue of just what exactly had happened to cause her to pass out like that. Her body felt weird, like it was contorted. It didn't even feel like it was her body anymore. _Damn Gold._ She knew she should have known better than to trust the creepy old man, he _never_ gave her good vibes. She would have thought that him being related to Henry would give him some kind of incentive to do some good. Guess not.

She sighed. Her body ached and she felt horrible. She didn't even care where she was laying right now, she just closed her eyes again and decided that maybe some more rest would do her good.

"What the hell are you doing here?" An all too familiar voice shook her from her attempt. _Of course._ She opened her eyes to see the sideways image of Regina coming towards her.

"Get off my lawn." The brunette said in her authoritative voice. Emma would have found it sexy had she not been in so much pain. She would think their new found friendship would lead her to being a bit more concerned though. She sighed and lifted her head off the ground with a groan. Her body felt so damn strange.

"Go on, shoo." Regina said, waving her hand at her.

_Shoo? Really? Come on Regina I'm not a damn dog._

And she tried to voice that complaint. Only

"woof."

_What?!_

"Woof!" she tried again. Why was she barking and not talking?

Regina rolled her eyes.

"That's it, I'm calling the animal shelter." she sighed, whipping out her phone from her blazer pocket.

_Animal what now?_

"WOOF" _Stop that!_

She stood up, or attempted to. She was okay while she was resting on her hands, but when she tried to stand on her legs alone, she wobbled, lost balance, and fell back on her hands.

"Attempting cute tricks won't sway my decision, mutt." Regina spat, still dialling the number to the shelter.

_MUTT?_ Emma was panicking now, just what the hell was going on?

She looked down and her eyes widened. _PAWS? FUR?_ She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She made it quickly to a small puddle left on the lawn from rain and looked into it. Her eyes went wide again.

Instead of her face looking back at her, she saw the face of a golden retriever. The only thing she could recognize of herself were her green eyes, that were wide in shock and confusion. She turned to look at Regina, trying her hardest to get the other woman to realize there was something wrong. But all that came out of her mouth was panicked barking that she was sure would only further annoy the woman.

"Oh you stop that." Regina snapped at her. She whined, both internally and externally, at her failure to communicate with the woman. She had to get her to realize, somehow. But she didn't know how, and Regina was talking to the animal shelter receptionist on the other end of the phone. So in a panic, she made a mad dash away from Regina and her house and towards the woods, hoping to be free from anyone's sights.

She wandered into the woods until she was sure that she was in far enough that no one would find her, besides, she didn't want to wander too far and end up skipping the town line. She didn't know what kind of magic this was, and she didn't want to end up stuck as a dog forever. She sighed, though it came out more like a huff from her irregularly long snout, and sat under a tree, wondering just how the hell she was going to get out of this one. She knew she should go to Gold, he would probably know what to do to reverse it. But considering the fact that he had given her the potion specifically to solve her problem with Regina, he was sure the answer to her problem was something incredibly annoying and cheesy like 'true loves kiss.' Her lip twitched up in a smile just thinking about the possibility of Regina being her true love. Even just thinking about the brunette reciprocating her feelings sent her heart on a thrill ride, but true love? It would be the answer to everything both she and Regina wanted. Their happy ending.

She huffed again, knowing she was going to have to go back to the former queen and find some way of communicating with her. This would end badly.

* * *

 

Regina sat in home office, going through paper work that needed the mayoral signature of approval. Today was one of those mundane days where nothing eventful happened. One would think it was nice, considering all the crazy things they'd been through. But her heart felt empty. She knew, she just knew, that if she were doing the exact same thing while knowing _who_ and _where_ her true love was, she'd be ten times happier. As it was, she didn't. And at this point she'd just grown tired of all the heartbreak.

She was so caught up in her own head that she didn't even realize it had begun to rain heavily outside. She rolled her eyes at the sound of rain against the window. She knew she created this town to destroy everyone's happiness, but _damn_ couldn't they get one day of good weather? She sighed and focused back on reading the words on the papers in front of her when her doorbell rang. She rolled her eyes and got up, fixing her shirt as she walked out into the foyer and to the front door.

When she opened it, she saw no one at immediate eye level, and was about to shut the door with an eye roll when she heard a whine come from in front of her. She lowered her eyes and sighed.

"You again." she said to the golden retriever who sat in front of her. "Didn't I tell you to get off my lawn?"

She stared at the dog, whose fur was soaked and muddy, probably from her run in the woods. She looked so sweet and innocent, not that Regina had much of a heart for dogs. But there was something about the dog's bright green eyes that softened the mayor's heart. She knew why, it was probably because they reminded her so much of another particular blonde in her life. She crouched down to be eye level with the dog.

"I suppose you're not on my lawn are you?" she spoke gently. the dog whined softly, placing one paw forward as if in response. Regina looked out beyond the dog and into the streets where rain assaulted any and all exposed areas. She looked back into those green eyes and sighed as she relented. "Alright well, come inside, let's get you dried off."

The dog seemed to understand her fully, opening it's mouth as if it were smiling and wagging her tail as she got up and walked inside the house. Regina closed the door and looked at the dog once again.

"I wonder if anyone is looking for you." she said in thought. Then shrugged. "Wait there."

The dog sat down dutifully and Regina walked into the downstairs bathroom, finding an old towel she no longer used and bringing it back to the foyer, where she found the dog still waiting for her patiently. She smirked, this dog was more obedient than some of her former subjects. She crouched down again near the golden animal and opened up the towel, gently rubbing it on her fur to dry it. She took in the dogs expression, eyes closed and mouth open as she panted softly in happiness. She couldn't help but smile.

"You know, don't tell anyone I said this, but you're pretty cute." The brunette said as she rubbed at the fur under the dog's chin. She moved to rub her back, noticing how as she rubbed one particular spot, the dog extended it's neck fully and wagged its tail as one leg thumped up and down on the floor.

"You like that?" Regina said with a smile on her face the likes of which she had never allowed anyone to see. The kind that made her eyes brighten and her face light up. The kind she always had on her face before her mother took away the love of her life.

* * *

 

_Oh God. Oh God. Don't stop._ was the only thing running through Emma's mind as the brunette rubbed that one particular spot on her back. It had always been sensitive, but _damn,_ nothing had ever felt this good. The tail wagging and the foot thumping was an automatic response in this new body, that Emma was slightly embarrassed about, but she didn't fight it and Regina kept rubbing her back.

She was a little saddened when Regina finally stopped, expressing it with a little huff. But Regina just smiled at her and scratched the top of her head lightly.

"You must be hungry." The brunette said, looking straight into her eyes. It was just then that she realized she hadn't eaten anything all day and her stomach was growling. So she tried to nod, only managing a little head bounce up and down. Still, Regina smiled at her as if it was the most adorable thing ever and she swore she'd keep doing everything to get Regina to smile like that because _holy crap Regina's smiles were the most beautiful things ever._

"Come on, let's see what we can find you." The former queen said, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. Emma followed her and sat down on the ground in front of her as she looked into the fridge to see if they had any leftovers of anything. She pulled out a container holding some leftover lasagna and thought for a moment before shrugging and closing the fridge again, taking the container to the counter. She cut off a healthy portion and put the rest back, before chopping up the piece she cut out in smaller pieces and plating them. She placed the plate down on the floor in front of the dog and smiled as the dog began eating happily after sniffing the food for only a second.

"Well looks like my lasagna is a hit with you too." she said, scratching the top of Emma's head again. As the golden retriever ate, she filled up a bowl with water and placed it right next to the plate she had given her so that she had something to wash it down with.

"Now don't think I didn't change my mind." Regina said to the dog who ate on in front of her. "I'm still calling the animal shelter and telling them to pick you up, I just didn't want to leave you out in the rain."

The dog looked up at her with a contemplative look, as if to say _yeah, sure you did._ In a way that reminded her so much of the look Emma gave her when she could tell she was lying, when she used that _damned_ superpower of hers. Regina took a deep breath and decided it was time to get back to work.

"Don't climb on any of my furniture." She said in a strict voice as she turned and walked out of the kitchen and back into her office to finish that paperwork.

Emma stayed in the kitchen and finished eating because _god_ she was so hungry and Regina's lasagna was amazing even when it was cold from the fridge. When she finished off the last bit and licked the plate clean, she drank some water, finding it really odd to lick it out of the bowl, but managing to do so anyway. When she was done, she turned around and walked back out of the kitchen. Before she even had to wonder where Regina was, she could smell her scent leading her to the office. _God_ it smelled so good, like a mix of Regina's perfume and shampoo and just a hint of something just so _Regina._ She walked up to the door of the office, which was left ajar, and pushed it open with her front paw. She walked in and sat down in the middle of the room silently, whining softly to grab Regina's attention off the file she was reading.

"What?" Regina said to her when she looked up and saw her there. She whined again in response and Regina rolled her eyes. "Very well you can stay in here but you have to be quiet."

Emma huffed, that's not what she wanted, she wanted to tell Regina to get her out of that damned body. But she lost the mayor's attention to the file again. She tried a new tactic, walking over to and around the desk, she placed her head in Regina's lap. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. Emma gave her a pleading look, begging her with her eyes for her to realize what was going on. But Regina just sighed and looked back up to her file, the only response to her presence being the fact that she was petting her head lightly, so softly.

It felt so good to Emma she could hardly care that another attempt at communicating with Regina had failed, instead she stayed there, letting the feeling of Regina's caresses wash over her and pull her into a comfortable slumber.

The only thing that brought her out of her rest came about an hour later, when a doorbell ring brought her back to consciousness. Her nose twitched as a new scent took over her and her mind instantly recognized who it was. _Henry! Mom!_ she lifted her chin off Regina's lap immediately and ran towards the door, barking at the brunette to follow her and open it. If anyone could tell Regina who she was, it was her mother and her son.

Regina rolled her eyes as she got up and followed the dog out towards the door.

"Oh be quiet." she chastised the loud animal as she shooed her away from the door. Emma whined and sat down as Regina opened the door to find her son and Snow right behind him.

"Is there a dog in here?" He asked as he walked into the house. The golden retriever ran up to him happily as he grinned at her, kneeling on the floor to pet and play with her while Emma tried as hard as possible to find _some way_ to get Henry to realize what she was saying.

"Don't get attached, she's going to the animal shelter later today." Regina said. Henry whined in response, as did the dog. Regina rolled her eyes and regarded Snow who still stood at the door. "I thought Emma was going to drop him off."

"Actually, Regina" Snow spoke in a whisper, giving her a look that said she didn't want Henry to hear her. "I was just about to ask you if you'd seen her. I haven't seen her since she brought Henry over last night. She said she had to run an errand and went out again, but she never showed up."

"Well she's probably on that damned ship shirking her responsibilities with the handless wonder." Regina spoke quietly with a roll of her eyes. Snow's expression made her think the shorter brunette knew something that would disprove her theory.

"Actually Regina." Snow began. "Emma broke up with hook earlier yesterday."

"She what?" Regina said in surprise.

"She didn't tell you?" Snow asked. Regina rolled her eyes again.

"Well it's not like we sit around talking about our relationships all day." She snarked. She bit her lip in slight worry, but didn't let it show on her face.

"Okay well, keep an eye out for her?" Snow asked, it was more like a plea. "I'm really worried about her no one seems to know where she is."

"I will, hopefully she hasn't gone and gotten herself in trouble again." Regina said. Snow nodded.

"Henry doesn't know anything yet, we figured it would be best not to worry him when it's possibly nothing." Snow said. Regina nodded in thanks. She was glad that the former princess had enough sense to protect her grandchild, though she really shouldn't have been surprised, Snow is a mother too after all.

"I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I see anything." Regina said. Snow nodded again in thanks and waved a quick goodbye to Henry before turning around and walking away. Regina closed the door, biting her lip in worry at what she'd just found out. But she sighed and pushed her worry away so as not to alarm her son. She turned around and smiled at him as he continued to pet the dog.

"Can we keep her?" Henry pleaded. Regina sighed.

"Henry, we don't even know if someone is looking for her." she said, speaking gently.

"But she doesn't have a collar, we don't know where she's from or if she belongs to anyone." Henry said.

"Well maybe she dropped it." Regina said. Henry gave her a look that he had learned from her that said _we both know that's not likely._

"Tell you what." He said in a voice that told her some kind of bargain was coming up. "We keep her here, and put up posters around town. If no one comes and claims her in ten days, we keep her."

"Where did you learn to negotiate like that?" Regina said instead. Henry shrugged.

"Rumpelstiltskin _is_ my grandfather." he said with a grin. Regina rolled her eyes at that and sighed.

"Fine." she relented. "But we put up posters _everywhere._ And we don't give up until ten days are over. And today doesn't count."

"Deal" He said with a grin, petting the dog happily. Emma sighed in relief, at least she didn't have to worry about Regina getting rid of her, it made things easier.

* * *

 

That afternoon they were walking outside, a new leash on the golden retriever, which Emma was already making plans of destroying, seriously pink was not her colour.

"So can we name her?" Henry asked as he stapled another poster to a tree.

"Well I suppose we should, so that we have something to call her." Regina said. "Any ideas?"

"Hmm..." Henry said in thought as they walked a bit more to the next tree. "How about Blondie?"

"After your mother?" Regina said with a smirk. Henry chuckled, but as Regina glanced at the dog she could swear she saw her rolling her eyes.

"Buttercup?" He suggested again. The dog huffed, even Regina cringed a little. They walked as they kept suggesting names.

"Biscuit!" Henry grinned. And it was the first time he heard his mother say 'nah.' He was amazed, so was Emma.

"Waffles."

"No."

"Jellybean."

"No."

"Cookie!"

"We are not naming her after food!"

"Fine." Henry huffed as he stapled another poster to a tree. He stayed quiet for a moment, thinking on what could be a good name. "How about Roxy?"

Emma actually didn't hate that one, and she'd rather be called Roxy than 'dog' until this spell was broken.

"That's a good one." Regina said with a smile.

"Okay then." Henry smiled at the dog, petting her. "Roxy."

Just then a familiar brunette was jogging on the other side of the street. She smiled and waved over to Regina and Henry, and then noticed the golden retriever she had yet to ever see with the two, so she ran across the street to talk to them.

"Hey guys." Ruby said with a smile, immediately crouching down to pet the dog. "Who's this?"

"This is Roxy." Henry said. "Mom found her."

"Wow Regina, didn't take you as the type to take in pets." Ruby said.

"Yes well she's not ours." Regina said.

"Not yet anyway." Henry corrected. Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "We're keeping her, and putting up posters, if no one claims her in ten days we get to keep her."

"Smart plan." Ruby nodded. She looked over to the dog to smile at and make baby noises. The strange colour of her eyes was something Ruby found odd, usually dogs' eyes were brown. The way the dog whined and sniffed at her told her something was amiss. Her eyes looked pleading and she whined again, nudging her with her nose.

_Come on Ruby, I know you can understand me._

"Emma?" Ruby spoke softly, barely enough for anyone to hear. The dog whined in confirmation.

"Emma? Where?" Regina asked, looking around to see the blonde in question. Ruby looked up and back down at the dog, opening and closing her mouth, unsure of what to do.

"Uh no." the werewolf said with a smile, standing up straight. "Her eyes, they kind of remind me of Emma's."

"Yeah isn't that cool?" Henry said with a grin. "Pretty sure mom found the only dog with green eyes, it's awesome."

"Yeah." Ruby said with a grin. "Well your mom can do pretty amazing things."

Henry smiled up at Regina, and the former queen smiled back at him, looking over to Ruby for a second to try and gauge her expression. While the younger boy wasn't looking, Ruby gestured with her eyes towards the dog as if to warn Regina that something was wrong. Regina raised her eyebrow at her.

"Ms. Lucas are you alright?" She asked, not understanding the warning she was being given. Henry looked back at Ruby in concern and she waved Regina off.

"I'm fine, just need some water, I'm heading back to Granny's anyway." she said with a grin.

"Oh well, if you're going to Granny's, can you take a couple of posters and hang them up?" Henry asked, holding out two of the papers in his hand.

"Sure." Ruby nodded with a smile. "Well I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Ruby." Henry said with a grin as she jogged off. She sighed, wondering if what she sensed from the golden retriever was right. It just couldn't be, could it?

* * *

 

Emma was laying down on the shag carpet rug in front of the fireplace in Regina's office. This day had been horrible, besides times she'd been petted by Regina that was wonderful. Apart from that, _freaking horrible._

She huffed, why the hell didn't Ruby tell them anything? Was there any chance she didn't understand her? Maybe It's part of the spell. Maybe until she gets true loves kiss she won't turn back into a human and there was no way of communicating with anyone, not even a werewolf who understood just what every dog was saying.

_But then how the hell am I supposed to get true loves kiss?_

She wondered for a moment if licking Regina's face would count. But then she realized she'd probably get a fireball to the tail and a whine escaped at the thought as she tucked her tail under her leg. She was still getting used to that thing, it felt like a weird waggly extension of her spine and kind of like it had a mind of it's own.

She heard footsteps and a door opening. Henry's scent filled the room and she looked up at him, her tail wagging immediately in response. Like she said, a mind of it's own.

"Hey girl." Henry said with a smile, kneeling down on the carpet and petting her. She had to admit being petted like that felt good, though the best feeling was still when Regina tickled her back that morning. "You wanna try out your new toys?"

_Pfft, toys._ Emma scoffed internally. _He's gonna think I'm broken, poor kid._

_Oh my god._ Emma said, her ears turning up at the sound which sounded like the best damn thing in the world

Squeak Squeak.

"You want the ball girl?" Henry said enthusiastically.

_GIMME THE BALL GIMME THE BALL. Oh my God what am I saying? I don't want the ba-_

"Fetch!" Henry ordered as he threw the ball out of the door and into the foyer.

_HOLY SHIT. BALL._

She wasn't controlling her body as she suddenly rose up and ran after the ball with all her might. She was sufficiently faster on four legs than she was on two. She ran and caught the ball mid air once in the foyer, but didn't see Regina until it was too late.

"Mom look out!" Henry called as she tried to stop, but the tile was too slippery under her claws. Luckily, the brunette did see her, and as a reflex response opened her legs so that Emma just slid through between them at high speed and crashed into the wall.

"Henry!" Regina chastised before turning around and walking over to the dog, petting her gently. "You need to be more careful, someone could have gotten hurt."

"Sorry mom, guess I threw the ball too hard." he said, walking over to Roxy and petting her. "Sorry girl."

Emma leaned up and licked just beneath his chin so that he wouldn't feel so bad, it was an accident after all. He smiled at her and petted her some more.

"Did you finish your homework?" Regina asked.

"I was taking a break." Henry said with his puppy eyes. Regina rolled her eyes, knowing he learned that trick from Emma, and it was just as adorable and irresistible, not that the brunette had ever let the savior know that little fact, or anyone for that matter.

"Go finish, dinner is almost ready." She said. Henry sighed and went back upstairs, throwing the ball over his shoulder. Emma lunged to catch it and Regina rolled her eyes. She looked at the dog, who dropped the ball and sat down in front of her, whining softly.

"What do you want, girl?" Regina asked softly to the dog. Emma stepped forward and nudged at her hands and Regina began to pet her as a response. Emma looked up at her with yearning eyes, trying to get her to understand that she was trying to tell her something. But Regina just smiled at her.

"You know, you're really adorable." she said. Emma nuzzled into her, being a dog had it's perks.

And that theory kept getting proven as time went by.

That night, after Henry went to bed and Regina decided to call it a night, Emma followed her up to the bedroom. Regina didn't even realize she had until she started pulling back the sheets to get into bed. The golden retriever sat by the bed, resting her chin on the mattress with pleading eyes looking up at the brunette.

"Oh no, you sleep on the floor." Regina said, pointing towards the carpet by her bed. The dog whined again as Regina got into bed. Despite her attempts at ignoring the dog though, the former queen couldn't really do it, and when she looked at those bright green eyes, her heart tugged in her chest. So she sighed and pulled back the sheets on the other side of the bed.

"Come on, get in before I change my mind." She said. Immediately the dog climbed up on the bed, spun around to get comfy and laid down, still looking over at Regina, who turned on her side and gently petted the dog.

She had to admit, it was nice to not be alone in bed for once, granted, it wasn't the way she'd imagined. But beggars couldn't really be choosers, and the dog's company wasn't unwanted. The bed felt warmer and more welcoming, and Regina actually felt relaxed in it for the first time since she arrived in that town, like she could feel the love and innocence emanating from the animal.

Emma looked at Regina, thankful that, even with just her eyes, she was able to convince the former queen to let her up on the incredibly comfy bed. She chanced scooting a few inches closer to the brunette, who smiled at her.

"You want to cuddle don't you?" she said to her. Emma's tail wagged gently across the mattress in response and Regina rolled her eyes. "Come on."

Emma couldn't believe that actually worked, maybe being a dog wasn't so bad after all. It was nice to see that Regina had a soft spot. Usually the brunette was so guarded about anything that wasn't Henry and she wasn't as easy to talk to.

Emma stood up on the bed again, moving closer to Regina and turning so that when she layed down, it was on her side with her back pressed up against Regina's front. She felt a warm arm drape over her side and let out a small huff of air in approval as Regina's hand came up to gently pet the fur just below her ear.

"You know I'm glad I let you in here, it's nice to have a companion for once." Regina admitted, Emma could practically feel her lips curling up into a smile, but considering a dog's anatomy lacked the ability to do so, she couldn't really fully smile. "Maybe I will keep you around. Provided no one claims you, hopefully they won't."

_She wants to keep me!_ Emma squealed mentally in joy before having to remind herself that she _wasn't_ actually planning on staying a dog for Regina's benefit. Even though it was kind of awesome. Kind of. Only a little.

She moved her head a little until it was tucked under Regina's chin and closed her eyes. The obvious body change aside, she had always imagined them laying together like this. She'd never let anyone know she wanted to be the little spoon, but to her this was absolutely perfect. And as the warmth and the bliss from their position enveloped her, she finally fell into a blissful sleep.

* * *

 

The first thing she heard when she woke up was the sound of something like a camera shutter. She huffed, still groggy and unsure of what was going on, and she didn't move for a second or so, but then she decided to investigate, and looked over to see Henry standing on the edge of the bed, his legs wide open, with a camera in his hand. He smiled at her and gave her a wink like they were sharing a secret, until.

"Henry?! What are you doing?!" Regina's voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Mom? Whoa-" Suddenly the boy was spinning his hands in the air, trying desperately to keep his balance as he starting tumbling backwards.

"Henry!"

Emma burst into action, lunging forward and clamping her jaw on the front of his pajama shirt and pulling him forward onto the bed. He landed half on top of her and Regina, who hugged him instantly.

"Oh my God." Regina sighed in relief, pulling back and inspecting him like she'd just dropped him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom." Henry said with a chuckle. He pulled out of his mother's hold to crawl off of her and pet the dog happily. "You saved me girl!"

"She sure did." Regina said, still reeling a bit from what just happened. "You could have knocked your head on the dresser and split it open."

"I don't think it would have been that bad." Henry said with a chuckle.

"You _need_ to be more careful." Regina warned.

"I'm sorry." he said with an apologetic smile. She sighed and brushed his hair back affectionately before kissing his forehead. "But it's okay, did you see that? Roxy saved me, and it was awesome!"

"Yes she did." She said, smiling over at the dog and petting her. "What were you doing up on the bed like that anyway?"

He didn't answer, simply grinned and held up the camera to show her the picture he had taken only a few moments ago of her and Roxy cuddled up together. Regina rolled her eyes and pushed the camera away, pointing a warning finger at her son.

"Show that to no one. Especially your grandmother." she said seriously.

"Aww come on it was cute." Henry whined.

"You show that to anyone and you won't get any dessert for a _month._ " she warned again.

"No fair." he whined, getting off the bed and going out of the room again. Regina rolled her eyes and sighed at him before smiling at the dog again.

"Well good morning Roxy." She said, smiling at her. "Thank you from saving my son."

Emma let out a happy little bark that came out more like a high pitched yap and jumped into Regina's lap, licking her face, because she was just as relieved at the brunette was.

"Okay okay." Regina giggled in a way that Emma had never heard, and she tried to lick her face again so that she could hear it one more time but Regina pushed her away slightly.

"Enough." She said, though her smile was still in place. The brunette cupped the dogs cheeks with both her hands and pressed their noses together, speaking in a way that humans only ever spoke to pets. "Who's a good girl?"

Emma licked Regina's nose again, eliciting the chuckle. Regina patted the dog's head and climbed out of bed, finding no sense in trying to go back to sleep when it was almost time for her to get up anyway. Might as well get an early start to her day.

Emma sat on the bed as she watched Regina walk into the bathroom to have a shower. She layed down on the bed, just because Regina was up didn't mean she had to be, not while she was in the other room anyway. So she closed her eyes and took another small nap.

She didn't wake up until she heard something thump, which was caused by Regina dropping the can of deodorant she had in her hand. Emma opened her eyes and blinked the sleep away for a moment. She lifted her head to look in the direction of the sound and saw Regina picking up the can. Just an arm reaching for a can, no problem. Until that is, Regina stood straight up and Emma realized she was stark naked and her eyes widened so much she thought they were gonna pop out of her head. The brunette smiled at the dog and petted her head.

"Sorry girl, did I wake you?" She said in a fleeting moment as she turned around and moved to her dresser to pick out her clothes. Emma couldn't stop staring, licking her lips instinctively as she raked her eyes over Regina's back, only to stop and gaze unabashedly on that perfectly round backside.

_Holy fuck, okay, stay cool Swan._

Regina dropped the underwear in her hands and sighed.

"What's with me today?" she mumbled to herself as she bent down.

_Stay cool, Stay cool, STAY COOL. ohmygodI'mgonnadie._

She thought she was gonna have a heart attack, but then Regina looked at the time and realized she was taking too long and got dressed faster and Emma could finally calm down, though she was pretty sure that she'd be dreaming about the image she had just had in front of her for a _long_ time.

She followed Regina down the stairs and into the kitchen, wondering if she could convince Regina to give her coffee. She decided against it, she didn't know what this body did with a dose of caffeine and that tail was already way too wild.

She took victory in the fact that she was able to coax the brunette into giving her three slices of bacon while she cooked and wondered just how long she'd have to wait for her next meal, probably lunch.

When Henry came down and started eating, she was able to pull off getting another slice before Regina shooed her away from him.

After a while, Henry went off to school, and Regina cleared the table before she got her stuff and was about to leave for work. That's when Emma realized that she couldn't spend _a whole day_ on her own as a dog, she'd probably lose it. So she sat in front of the door and when Regina attempted to leave, blocked her path.

"Roxy, move sweetie." the brunette said softly, but Emma didn't budge. "Roxy!"

She huffed defiantly and Regina raised an eyebrow at her before trying to open the door again to no avail.

"You can't come with me." Regina said with a hint of finality in her voice that Emma knew didn't hold much weight. She kept blocking the door until Regina sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you incessant beast, come on." She relented, grabbing the leash and hooking it to her collar. "If you pee in my office I am dumping you in the woods."

Emma whined in response as they walked out of the house and into Regina's car. They arrived at Town hall within a matter of minutes and Regina maintained her composure and posture as they through the building. No one dared to question the former evil queen on why exactly it was that she was bringing a dog into her office, but the fact that the animal wasn't terrified and seemed to be happy to be with the brunette seemed to pacify their curiosities. After all it's not like Regina was the first person to keep their dog in their office with them, although Dr. Hopper always used the excuse of Pongo being there as extra therapy to some of his patients.

Regina unhooked the leash from Emma's collar and hung it up on the coat rack along with her own coat. Immediately the dog climbed up on the couch and laid down. Regina opened her mouth to say something, but then sighed at those gorgeous green eyes and realized she wasn't _that_ heartless.

_Damn blondes with green eyes. Damn them all._ She thought, her mind wandering to another blonde. She sighed and thought about calling Snow to check on any progress in finding Emma's whereabouts, but as she sat down at her desk with a small sigh, reaching over for the phone, there was a sharp knock on her door.

"Come in." Regina called. Suddenly the short haired head of her former arch enemy popped in with a smile.

"Good morning Regina." she said. Regina offered her a small smile.

"Good morning Snow." she said, signalling with her hand for the other brunette to come in. Snow walked in and closed the door behind her, smiling at the dog.

"Aww you kept her." she said, walking over to the animal and petting her. Regina smiled and nodded as she started up on her paperwork.

"Yes well I promised Henry. If no one claims her within ten days we keep her." Regina explained. "Besides, she's growing on me."

"Well that's lovely Regina, I always said animals make a wonderful companion. I always thought of getting a pet, but my rent rules won't really allow it." Snow said with a roll of her eyes.

"I would think your apartment if crowded enough dear." Regina pointed out. Snow nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I was just about to call you."

"Oh really?" Snow said with a smile, as if Regina had just given her the best news ever. The older woman resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the former princess.

"Yes, I wanted to check on Emma. Did you find her?" She asked.

"No, we've been looking everywhere." Snow said, a disappointed look taking over her face. "You would have been the first I called if we did."

"Why is that?" Regina asked, almost defensively. Snow opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before actually coming up with an answer.

"W-well I mean you're the only person I've told." Snow said with a shrug.

"You mean you haven't even asked the pirate?" Regina said. Snow rolled her eyes.

"I tried but he seems like he couldn't care less about Emma anymore." She said with a look that only a mother would know. Regina scoffed in response.

"So much for being in love with her." She muttered.

"I'm so disappointed in him, I didn't expect him to be so heartless about everything."  The short haired woman said.

"Well I never expected any better." Regina said as she signed off another document and put the file away. "Once a pirate, always a pirate."

"Oh Regina you don't really think that do you?" Snow said, almost as if she was disappointed in her as well.

"Why wouldn't I?" Regina asked.

"Well I mean of all people, you should know what it feels like to want to redeem yourself." Snow said. Regina gave her a short glare before returning her eyes to the work in front of her.

"Yes well I also happen to know that redemption takes _time and work._ " she said. "You don't just redeem yourself by falling in love with the savior, or at least pretending to."

"You think Hook didn't really love Emma?" Snow asked.

"I know love when I see it Snow, despite my dark past, I did feel love a few times in my life." Regina said. Snow started shaking her head, mouth open and ready to deny that she ever meant that, but Regina waved her off and continued. "My point is, he looked at her more like a piece of meat he wanted to sink his teeth into, rather than someone he loved. For god's sake he looked at his boat with more passion than that."

"Hmm." Snow said in contemplation. "Maybe that's why Emma left him."

"Smartest decision she's ever made since coming here." Regina said with a sigh. "Though it does give me some unease, knowing she disappeared just after they split up."

"Me too." Snow practically hummed. "I wonder..."

"What?" Regina asked, stopping from her paperwork to look up at her. Snow bit her lip in thought before speaking.

"Do you think you could use a locator spell to try and find her?" Snow said. Regina's eyes widened in realization.

"I should have thought of that." Regina said. "But we'd need something of hers."

"Hmm. -OH!" Snow said suddenly, looking into her purse. "I think I have...hang on...AHA!"

"What?" Regina asked.

"I have an old piece of gum in here from hers, had to stop her from throwing it into the street." Snow said with a roll of her eyes. Regina looked at her with pure disgust. "Must have forgotten it was in there."

"For god's sake clean your purse out." Regina said, completely offended and disgusted. Snow chuckled.

"Sweetie when you have two kids, on of who is the savior and another who's still a baby, you get time for nothing." Snow said with a chuckle. "Will it work?"

"Need I remind you that I have a child? Though I can't imagine handling Emma is any easy feat." Regina said with an eye roll. "Yes, despite my better judgement against touching that thing, yes it will work."

"Excellent!" Snow said, handing it over to Regina who raised an eyebrow at her. Snow rolled her eyes and walked right in front of her to put it on the desk. Regina sighed and stood up, going over to a cabinet where she kept any emergency potions. She pulled out a small vile of bright, light liquid and walked back over to her desk. She pulled off the cork and let a small drop fall on the small wad of gum wrapped in the wrapper. She stepped back as the wad started floating up into the air, it moved forward maybe a foot and a half before stopping for a moment and hovering around a little bit, before falling back down to the floor. Snow immediately let out a disappointed sigh, Regina on the other hand let out an angry grunt and threw off a small fire ball to set fire to the wad.

"Regina!" Snow chastised.

"Oh what?!" Regina snapped at her. Snow was taken aback a little, her eyes going wide in surprise. Regina sighed and sat down, forcing herself to calm down before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried."

"About Emma?" Snow said, as if it was some kind of delightful surprise. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well she is the birth mother of my child." Regina said. "He'd be devestated if something happened to her."

"Yes... _he_ would." Snow said with a nod. Regina sighed.

"I don't know why it didn't work." she said. "It should have lead us right to her."

The dog on the couch whined and Snow looked over at it with a sad smile.

"Aww Regina, I think she's worried too." she said, going over to pet the dog again. Regina rolled her eyes.

"We've been through this Snow, you can't actually talk to animals just because you sing along with birds." Regina snarked. Snow rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I'm even talking about." She said, looking over again at the dog. "My what a lovely eye colour."

"Yes it's quite...manipulating." Regina said. Snow chuckled.

"Now why would you say something like that? She's a dog for God's sake." the other brunette said.

"She's very convincing when it comes to getting you to give her things." Regina said. Snow smiled at her and stood up.

"Or _maybe_ you're just a big softie when it comes to something you love." Snow said with a teasing smile. Regina glared up at her.

"I swear I will poison you again." she threatened. But Snow rolled her eyes, knowing the former queen was practically harmless these days.

"Well, I should get going, David wants us to keep searching for Emma." Snow said, picking up the now charred wad still on the floor so that she'd throw it away on her way out.

"Let me know immediately if you find her." Regina said instantly before she could even stop her words from sounding panicked. Snow smiled over at her knowingly.

"Of course, in fact, if she's okay I'll make sure she come to see... _Henry."_ she teased again. Regina clamped her teeth down on her lip to stop herself from cursing the former princess out. "After all, _he_ must be missing her terribly."

The minute Snow walked out, Regina dropped her face in her hands and groaned in frustration, barely noticing that Roxy had jumped off of the couch and came over to her, dropping her head in her lap sympathetically. Regina sighed down at the dog and scratched the top of her head affectionately.

"What has that ridiculously stupid blonde gotten herself into this time?" she asked the dog as if it knew the answer.

_Hey who you callin' stupid?_ Emma tried to say, but it came out as a whine instead. Regina petted her a bit more before sending her back off to the couch so that she could finish her work.

* * *

 

The minute Regina walked back into her house, she was greeted by Henry trying to push past her violently.

"Hey, where are you going?" she demanded, holding him by his shoulders to stop him.

"Get off me!" he said angrily.

"Not until you tell me where you think you are going." she said, remaining calm for the moment.

"Did you know?" he demanded instead.

"Know what?" she asked.

"That Emma was missing." He said. She opened her mouth to try and deny it but the words didn't come out. He shoved her off, shouting "I knew it!"

"Henry wait!" she tried to stop him again.

"No." He screamed. "My mother is missing and you didn't even tell me! Have you even tried to look for her?!"

"We tried a locator spell it didn't work." She said, trying to pacify him.

"That's it? That's all you did? Dropped some magic water on a little trinket?!" He shouted again.

"Well what else am I supposed to do it's not like I know how to track her! Ruby or Snow would be much more-"

"No! You don't get to brush this off on other people!" He said, practically seething. "You know, I thought you were good now, I thought you cared about other people. But you haven't changed a bit. You don't care about anything other than yourself, or anything to do with you!"

"How dare you-"

"And you know what?!" He jumped back in. "I thought that maybe, I could see something in your eyes when you looked at Emma. The little smiles, the laughing at her jokes, the way you were accepting her so much more into our family. I thought, maybe, just maybe, I saw something that looked like love in your eyes. And I was so freaking happy, because I thought you were turning into a good guy and that you would be getting your happy ending. But you don't care about anyone but yourself. You're still the Evil Queen and you still don't care about anyone. Especially Emma. You wouldn't give a damn if she were lying dead in a ditch somewhere. But I do. I'm going to go find my _mother."_

Regina was shocked into staying still as her son walked out of the front door, slamming it shut behind him. When he was gone and she was alone, his words finally hit her at full force.

_You wouldn't give a damn if she were lying dead in a ditch somewhere._

Those words alone, just the sheer possibility of the blonde being in that state, sent her crumbling on her knees to the floor in tears. She felt like she couldn't breathe, like Henry's words were choking the life out of her. But it wasn't Henry's words that were, not really, it was the possibility that Emma was _gone._ And that she had done _nothing_ to even stop it from happening because she didn't know what was going on.

Emma whined, and stepped over to her, licking a tear off her cheek and nuzzling under her chin to try and make sure she was okay because _holy crap_ she had never seen Regina like that.

Regina responded to the dog's movements, putting her hands on the back of her neck and pressing her forehead against her furry one as she cried so hard she was actually _sobbing._

"God, Roxy what have I done?" she spoke so softly because the giant lump that was caught in her throat was making it so hard to _breathe_ let alone speak. The dog whined and nudges at her and licked her tears away as if she knew what was going on and Regina buried her face in her fur as she sobbed harder.

_Dammit Regina, I'm here. How the hell can I tell you?_ Emma's thoughts emanated from her as whines.

After some time, Regina lifted her head up from the dog's neck and looked into her eyes.

"He thinks I don't care about her." she said, giving a watery chuckle. "God is he wrong."

_What?_ another whine.

"I do care about her. She's basically my only friend in this town. But she's so much more than that." She said, another soft sob escaping her.

_I am?_ It came out as another whine, but her tail started wagging gently.

"She's incredible, and so brave, and so damned beautiful...I love her..." She let out a shaky breath before admitting it to herself for the first time. "I'm in love with Emma Swan."

Emma nuzzled her and licked at her tears and tried so damn hard to get her to realize what she was trying to tell her. But Regina just let out another watery chuckle and pressed her forehead against hers again.

"You're such a good listener Roxy." She said with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to the dog's snout. Emma whined again and huffed.

Suddenly, a white light starting emanating from the floor in small orbs, lifting and spinning around Emma's dog form. Regina moved back in shock to observe what was going on. A white fog was also rising behind the light, covering her view of the dog as it rose up, higher and higher as the dog started glow.

Within a few seconds, the dog was gone, leaving in her wake Emma Swan in full human form, on her knees in front of Regina.

Stark naked.

Emma lifted her hands in surprise, looking them back and front as if they were brand new.

"Holy shit." she whispered.

"E-Emma?" Regina stammered out, confused and upset and confused some more.

Emma looked up at her, a small smile creeping across her mouth.

"Yeah." She said, nodding.

"Wh-how..." Regina stopped herself from asking. She was so confused and unsure of what the hell had just happened but her dog had just turned into Emma Swan right in front of her eyes and she knew magic had to be at work here.

"Gold." Emma said. Regina's thoughts stopped swimming around her head long enough for her to roll her eyes. She sighed and pulled her coat off and reached over to wrap it around Emma because the woman was still naked.

"Thanks." Emma said with a small blush.

"No problem." Regina said, still a little dazed. "Please explain to me what just happened."

"I asked Gold for a potion to help me with....something...And it turned me into a dog." Emma said with a sigh.

"I see..." Regina said. There wasn't much else that could be said, except for. "And what was this potion for?"

Emma sighed and smiled at her a little and realized that if there was any moment for her to tell Regina, it was now.

"A confidence boost so that I would stop chickening out before I could ask you to go on a date with me." She said.

"What?" Regina breathed out.

"Regina I've been falling for you slowly, pretty much since I met you I think." Emma said, looking away for a moment to think on what she'd said. "It started off with me thinking you were really hot and then you started working so hard to redeem yourself and you sacrificed so much and then Neverland happened and we started working together and everyone was pulling and pushing me from every which way and you were the only thing that was stable for me and then fucking _Zelena_ happened and I realized  I could lose you at any moment and that's when I truly realized that I had fallen so totally and completely in love with you."

Regina didn't say anything, just stared at her and breathed heavily. Then when she'd taken everything in, she scooted closer to the blonde, pulling her into her arms and burying her face in Emma's neck and taking in her scent and the feel of her body as the savior's arms wrapped around her and she couldn't help but start crying again.

"Why are you crying?" Emma asked softly as she ran her fingers through brunette hair.

"Because I'm so happy, that you're here and...just so, _so_ happy." Regina said. "And I was _so goddamn_ worried about you."

"I'm sorry." Emma said. "I thought it would maybe just inflate my confidence a little you know? I didn't think Gold would turn me into a freaking dog."

"I'll kill him." Regina said ever so weakly that Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't, it may have been twisted and turned into some horrific comedy, but he did help in getting us together." She said.

"Together?" Regina asked without moving from her position. Emma smiled wider and kissed her temple.

"You don't think you're gonna get rid of me after confessing you love me do you?" she teased. Regina chuckled into the skin of her neck. "I love you Regina."

"I love you too Emma." Regina said, a few tears spilling out again, happy ones this time. "We should call Henry and tell him."

"Yeah he's probably flipping out." Emma said.

"Maybe we should get you dressed first, hmm?" Regina suggested and Emma blushed again.

"Yes please." she mumbled. Regina chuckled and pulled away from her, standing up and holding out a hand to help the blonde up. Emma stumbled a little to get her balance back and had to hold on to Regina for a bit. "Sorry, kinda been walking on all fours for a while."

"It's quite al-" Regina stopped for a moment as she realized something. "Wait so you've been conscious of everything that's been going on?"

"Yeah." Emma said with a nod. "Why?"

Regina just raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Emma said. Regina rolled her eyes and waved her hand suddenly to fling the coat off of Emma. The blonde's eyes went wide as she tried to cover herself with her hands. "Hey what the hell?!"

Regina smirked as she raked her eyes over Emma's body quickly and then started to walk away towards the stairs.

"Now we're even." she called back and Emma took a second for her to realize what she was talking about.

"Well hey you're the one who figure it'd be okay to be naked in front of the dog!" Emma said, dropping her arms as she started to follow Regina up the stairs.

* * *

 

"Wait..." Henry said slowly. He was sitting in front of his two mothers, after being called home by Regina, and refusing to because he was still mad at her, Emma had taken the phone and told him everything was okay and that he needed to come home so that they could talk. He finally listened after she had to convince him it wasn't just Regina masking her voice with magic. "So you're telling me that you've been Roxy all this time?"

"Yep." Emma said with a nod. Henry shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her in confusion and she shrugged. "Never trust potions kid."

He sighed and nodded. Magic really was confusing sometimes.

"Wait so why did you chase the ball when I-"

"I am not proud. And we are never to talk about that ever again, got it?" Emma cut him off and he chuckled and got off the chair to hug her.

"I'm so glad you're back." He said.

"Glad to be back kid." she said as Henry looked over her shoulder to Regina, who smiled at him softly. He sighed and pulled away from Emma to hug the brunette as well.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." he said. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"It's okay Henry." She said.

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." He said.

"You were upset, and scared for your mother's safety. You're totally forgiven." She said. Emma couldn't help but smile at the two of them. He pulled back and looked at the two of them as they stood together, smiling at each other.

"Wait." He said again, they looked over to him with questioning looks. He pointed to Emma "How did you turn back?"

"True loves kiss." The blonde replied with a shrug.

"But mom was the only one-" He stopped himself as he looked at his two mothers who were now giving him match smiles. Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's waist and pulled her closer to her side and gave their son a wink. Henry's lips shaped and morphed into the biggest grin any of them had ever seen on his face before he jumped onto both of them, wrapping his arms around them both and burying his face into their necks.

Emma smiled and turned her head to look at Regina, who had a look of pure bliss on her face as she hugged their son. She placed a soft kiss on her temple before turning to kiss Henry on the head, she was holding the two people she loved most in the world, and she couldn't be happier.

* * *

 

They sat in Granny's diner the next day for breakfast, Regina talking about...something...And Emma just staring at her lovingly, not really listening, but watching as her lips moved and pulled up into a smile as they formed words and her eyes sparkled and her hands moved around a little and _Oh my God this woman is crazy perfect_

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Emma!"

"Huh?" Emma shook her head and brought her thoughts back into focus.

"Are you even listening to me?" Regina said, raising an eyebrow at her. Emma just grinned at her lovingly.

"I have no idea what you were just saying." She admitted. "But you looked beautiful saying it."

Regina rolled her eyes to mask the fact that she was blushing as she sipped her coffee. Emma smiled again and reached over to take her free hand, squeezing it gently.

Suddenly the bell rang as Gold walked through. He went over to the counter and asked Ruby for his and Belle's usual before he spotted the two women and walked over to them.

"Ah, if what I can see is true, I feel congratulations are in order." He said with a smile. Emma smirked at him.

"Yeah, though when I asked you for help, something simple and straightforward would've been, like, _way_ better." Emma said, smiling over to Regina who nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Gold said after a moment of thought.

"Oh come on Gold, don't play dumb." Emma said. "Next time, maybe something that'll keep me on two feet at least hmm?"

"Sheriff Swan, I legitimately have no idea what you're saying." He said. She looked him over, her eyes widening.

"You mean you _didn't_ give me a potion that turned me into a dog?" she asked.

"A dog?" He asked. "The vile I gave you contained nothing more than a strong shot of alcohol mixed with some food colouring. Nothing more magical than that for what you needed."

" _What?"_ Emma squeaked. "Dude I turned into a dog for _two days._ I had a _tail_ and had to eat leftover lasagna from a bowl."

"ahem."

"Which was _delicious,_ but that is not the point right now."

"Oh dear..." Rumple said in contemplation. "I fear when I put the vial down for only a second on my shelf, I must have grabbed the wrong one after."

Emma blinked at him.

"You're shitting me."

"I'm afraid not." He said. "Though I do offer my deepest apologies."

"A _tail._ And floppy ears. I chased down a _squeaky toy_ for God's sake."

"I truthfully regret my mistake Sheriff, I promise to be more careful next time." Gold said, looking over to the counter where Ruby had just placed his bag. "Well, I bid you good day ladies, and once again, congratulations."

He walked away, leaving Emma reeling in what she'd just learned. The blonde looked over to Regina, who seemed to be having a hard time keeping herself from laughing.

"It's not funny." she said.

"Of course not dear." Regina smiled at her, still scoffing back a laugh.

" _Regina."_ she whined.

"I love you?"

"Don't even."

"Oh come on Emma, so it was a mistake." Regina said, reaching over and taking Emma's hands across the table. "The important thing is that, whether it was the intended purpose or not, the potion helped bring us together, now we can start a new life together and have our happy endings. Together."

Emma sighed, she had to agree with the brunette, the spell did bring them together. Still she couldn't resist the urge to get back at Rumple somehow.

"Wanna break into his cabin and have sex everywhere?" She asked.

"Emma." Regina chastised. "I am the _mayor._ "

"So?"

"So." Regina shot back before smirking at her mischievously. "I have a skeleton key to every building in this town, breaking in won't be necessary."


End file.
